Battle of Shakar Kheda
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| Battle of Sakhar kherda | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Nizam of Hyderabad | Mughal Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Nizam-ul-Mulk | Mubariz Khan † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown but moderate to heavy | ||||||
The Battle of Sakhar kherda took place on 11 October 1724 at Sakhar Kherda (Sakhar Kherda or Sakhar Kherda) in Berar, 80 miles from Aurangabad between Nizam-ul-Mulk and Mubariz Khan, Subedar of Deccan.
About Sakharkherda
Old name of sakharkherda was Fatehkherda,Situated on the Bhogawati, an affluent of the Penganga, 12 miles to the north-west of Mehkar the place was originally known as Sakharkherda, which, according to tradition, it had received from a well close by that yielded sugar. About the well it is said that some merchants transporting sugar threw it into the well on being attacked and hence the water from the well used to taste sugary for some time. The place is of considerable antiquity, and a local tradition says that a saint named Palasi siddha settled in Sankhedi, a hamlet of the town. On being invited to come to live in the town he replied that he would not go to the town but that the town would come to him. The town gradually reached the hamlet. It was here, in 1724, that the battle which decided the Nizam's supremacy in the Dcccan was fought between Nizam-ul-mulk Asaf Jah, the founder of the Nizam dynasty of Hyderabad and Mubariz Khan who represented the Moghal emperor. In memory of the victory the name of the town was changed to Fatehkhelda which now is known as Fatehkherda.
The old Gazetteer of Buldhana district has ascribed the cause of the decay of the village to the plunder of it by Shinde's troops on their way to Assaye in 1803 and the great famine of that year. The village has now extended to the vicinity of the samadhi of Palasi Siddha. Of the fortified wall around the village only one gate, viz., Mansing gate on the west still stands intact. Besides, a few bastions still exist here and there in a crippled condition. A weekly bazar is held on Fridays. There is a police station and a sub-post office. There are three primary schools one each for boys and girls and one with the Urdu medium conducted by the Zilla Parishad, one Balak Mandir also crippled condition. A weekly bazar is held on Fridays. There is conducted by private institutions. A civil and a veterinary dispensary are also conducted by the Zilla Parishad.
Mosque.—Among the objects of interest in the village, the significant one is a fine little mosque much resemblisg that at Rohinkhed in the Malkapur tahsil, built by Khudavand Khan Mahdavi. Still in a good condition, the mosque is 'situated on an elevated place in the town with a Persian inscription showing the date of its construction as 1581 A.D. It has a three-arched facade and four free standing pillars. The latter have octagonal shafts with square caps and bases. Simple little rosettes decorate crippled condition. A weekly bazar is held on Fridays. There is cornice. The roof has one central dome with stands upon an ornamental octagonal drum and four little lantern miliars one at each corner. The mosque is a masonry work, only the top dome and the minar tops being of bricks and chunam. The mosque has a walled enclosure, the courtyard being cement-lined. It has an inam for its upkeep. The mosque is preserved under the Preservation of Monuments Act. At the back of the mosque is a small well-built water tank.
Palasi Siddha Math.— In memory of the saint, a large math has been constructed in which is installed a marble statue of Palasi Siddha in a sitting posture. Below it is a marble linga with a bust of Shankara. The door-frame of the room is plated with silver. The lintel has an image of Ganapati, also plated with silver. From an inscription on the door panel, it appears that the saint took samadhi in Shaka 980. Outside the compound of the math, nearhy, a tamarind tree marks the samadhi of the saint. It is believed by the devotees that in the vicinity there was a spot from where a cow used to emerge, and disappear after being milked by those present. This has now become legendary. The math is said to have been constructed about 500 years ago.
Besides, there is a temple of Ramananda Maharaja, a noted saint who is said to have taken samadhi about 35 years ago. Only the padukas of the Maharaja who hailed from Chandani village in Akola district are kept there and one of his disciples by name Pralhad Maharaja looks after the temple. Ramananda Maharaja took his samadhi at Gondavale in the district of Satara. A fair attended by about 5,000 people is held from Magha Vadya Navami to Dwadashi.
Ramananda Maharaja belonged to the Samartha Sampradaya and in the temple constructed in his memory a fine image of the Maharaja has been installed. Above the image in the background, is an idol of Balaji. Behind Balaji's idol, on the wall, is hung a picture frame of Gondavalekar Maharaja, the Guru of Ramananda Maharaja.
The Guikhedi talav about a mile distant to the west of the village irrigates about 100 acres of land through the water drawn by canals.
There is a tomb of Mubariz Khan, who was killed in the battle fought here in 1724, for the upkeep of which is granted an inam land.
Prelude
In 1714, Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar appointed Nizam-ul-Mulk (also known as Nizam, Nizam I, and Asaf Jah I) as Viceroy of the Deccan. Deccan consisted of six Mughal governorates (Subah): Khandesh, Bijapur, Berar, Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Bidar, and Carnatic region was sub-Subah administered partly by governor of Bijapur and Hyderabad. In 1721, Nizam was commissioned to Delhi and became Prime Minister of the Mughal Empire. His differences with the court nobles led him to resign from all the imperial responsibilities in 1723 and leave for Deccan.[1]: 143 [2]: 95
Under the influence of Nizam's opponents, Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah issued a decree to Mubariz Khan, the governor of Hyderabad, to prevent the Nizam from taking the Deccan province under his control. Nizam and Mubariz Khan confronted each other at Shaker Kheda (a valley in present-day Buldhana district, Berar Subah, 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Aurangabad), resulting in the Battle of Shakar Kheda.[1]: 93–94
Events
Mubariz Khan marched from Hyderabad against Nizam-ul-Mulk who was ready to meet the challenge. Both fought for some time and at last at Sakhar Kherda. In this decisive battle against great odds, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I defeated and killed Mubariz Khan. After the victory of Nizam, officers and soldiers who took part in the battle were rewarded with cash and titles.[citation needed]
Aftermath
In the next year, Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela conferred the title of Asaf Jah to Nizam-ul-Mulk and reappointed him as Subedar of the Deccan province on 25 June 1725.
References
- ^ a b Mehta, Jaswant Lal (2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India: 1707–1813. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 978-1-932705-54-6.
- ^ Roy, Olivier (2011). Holy Ignorance: When Religion and Culture Part Ways. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-80042-6.
External links
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